Israel Takes Over Hamas TV Programming

The Israeli army took over Hamas TV programming "to broadcast warnings” on the sixth day of Pillar of Defense.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

First Publish: 11/19/2012, 2:32 PM

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The Israeli army on Monday took over programming at a Gaza-based Hamas television station "to broadcast warnings” on the sixth day of Operation Pillar of Defense.

Al-Aqsa television, the official station of Gaza's Hamas regime, said in a statement the Israeli army "is interfering with Al-Aqsa TV," with the picture going on and off for several hours and sometimes appearing scrambled, according to AFP.

"We took over the Hamas television to broadcast warnings," a military spokeswoman said, indicating the takeover would probably last for a number of hours.

She told Arutz Sheva that AFP journalists' claims that “they could see no warning being sent out by the army” were incorrect.

On Sunday, the army took over Hamas radio broadcasts in Gaza for several hours.

The IDF on Sunday bombed an antenna used by Hamas. The surgical strike atop the 15-story building caused minimal damage, as seen in an IDF video, but Hamas has claimed that eight journalists were wounded in the operation.

Mainstream media have reported the claim without verification.

The IDF later called on "international journalists... to stay clear of Hamas's bases and facilities, which serve them in their activity against the citizens of Israel."